Theoretical Concepts in Learning and Child Development: Attachment Theory

This essay explores the key concepts of attachment theory and its impact on the development and learning of children in secondary settings. It discusses the connection between attachment theory and pedagogy, and its impact on learning of indigenous children. The essay also highlights the strengths and limitations of the theory.

Running head: THEORETICAL CONCEPTS IN LEARNING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Theoretical concepts in learning and child development:
Attachment Theory
Vy Hoang
Foundation of Learning and Development EDUC 5261 Essay

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THEORETICAL CONCEPTS IN LEARNING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Introduction:
Childhood is the phase in life that is associated with a varied range of growth and
developmental processes. Both physical and cognitive development is the most impactful in this
period of life. Hence, it is crucial for the child educators to take into consideration the physical
and cognitive developmental progress. The children spend a considerable amount of time with
their educators (Britto et al. 2017, pp. 91-102). As a result, it is crucial for the educators to
modify their strategic pedagogies in accordance with their developmental needs. As discussed by
Spodek and Saracho (2014, pp. 85-100), the impact of the educational activities on the cognitive
and behavioral development of the children is optimal.
There are various theories that underpin the various concepts of child psychology and
their cognitive development. These theories provide a systematic framework which can be used
by the child educators in planning and designing optimal strategic pedagogies accordingly (Black
et al. 2017, pp.77-90). This essay will explore the key concepts of attachment theory,
connections between these concepts and the development and learning of children in secondary
setting, impact of this connection on developing pedagogy, impact on learning of indigenous
children, and concluding with a set of strengths and limitations of theory.
Discussion:
Key concepts of the theory:
The attachment theory states that establishment of attachment with a primary caregiver
such as a mother makes the infants consider it as a secure base that allows them to explore the
surrounding environment. In other words, attachment allows the child to develop self-confidence
and self-esteem, thus helping the child to grow happy and a functioning adult. Therefore, the

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theory acts in the form of a cognitive framework that encompasses mental representations, which
help in understanding self, the world and others (Hoffnung et al. 2009, p.177). This attachment
provides the person with a sense of security and stability essential to take risks, branch out, and
develop their personality (Richter et al. 2017, pp.103-118). The basic assumptions attachment
theory by Bowlby states that children who are attached to their caregivers often develop greater
independence, and explore their environment with conviction, thus returning to the care giver
who responds to their needs.
The first phase is the pre attachment phase which is the time after birth to 6 weeks which
is associated with the infant having any signal that attracts the adult’s attention (Fonagy 2018).
The second phase is the ‘attachment in the making’ for children between 6 weeks to 6 to 8
months. In this phase the infants can respond differently to their main caregiver as compared to
the other adults (Bergin and Bergin, 2009, pp.143-145). The third phase is the ‘clear cut
attachment’ which takes place between 6 to 8 months to 18 to 24 months (Bergin and Bergin,
2009, pp.143-145). In this phase the children have established an attachment with their main
caregiver and might display separation anxiety, depending on the type of attachment namely,
secure, ambivalent, and avoidant, when they are not in presence of their main caregiver (Bergin
and Bergin, 2009, pp.143-145).Secure attachment makes children feel comfortable and confident
that the caregiver will be always present to meet their requirements and demands. Infants who
are securely attached get soothed by their caregiver, under upsetting circumstances. In contrast,
insecure avoidant children fail to orient their caregiver and are independent both emotionally,
and physically. Under distressing conditions even, the children do not seek contact with the
identified attachment figure (Buist 2011, p.315). This is in clear contrast to ambivalent

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attachment where children and infants exhibit dependant and clingy behaviour, but are found to
reject the caregiver, upon engaging in interactive behaviour.
The last phase of the attachment theory is the formation of the reciprocal relationship
which for 18 months to 2 years and above(Bergin and Bergin, 2009, pp.143-145). Toddlers in
this stage have greater understanding of coming and going due to language development. The
internal working model can be defined as the expectations of the child in regards to the support,
availability and reciprocal relationship with the caregiver (Gross et al. 2017, pp.661-678).
On the other hand the attachment theory proposed by Ainsworth et al. (2015, pp. 5-19) which
also discusses the development of attachment in four distinct phases. In this case the first phase
is an discriminating social responses which is carried out between birth to 3 months where the
child displays gestures to activate proximity promoting behaviours (Van Rosmalen et al. 2016,
p.22). The second phase is discriminating social responsiveness where the child of 3 to 6 months
discriminates between family or unfamiliar adults and provides according responses. Increasing
preferences for people who are most responsive and familiar to the needs and preferences help in
reinforcing the affection of the parents. The fourth phase is the goal directed partnership where
the children above the 3 year age exhibit behaviour that are directed at instigating reciprocity
with the caregiver. The stage is manifested by an increase in memory and representational skills
for events and objects, thus increasing the capability of the children to understand parental
feelings and endure parental absence. After this period, long term separation from the caregiver
can lead to separation anxiety in the children and can affect the behavioural characteristics
(Fletcher and Gallichan 2016, pp.8-32).

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Connections between these concepts and the development and learning of children/young
people:
There are a plethora of recommendations which direct the educators in improving and
managing classroom performance. With respect to the concept that is proposed by Bowlby the
impact of lack of proper attachment of a child with its caregiver can have significant detrimental
impact on the psyche and cognitive development of the child (Fletcher and Gallichan 2016, pp.8-
32). In case of secure attachment, the child often becomes avoidant of strangers when present
alone in their company, but become friendly in presence of the mother. Secure attachment has
also been found to help the children develop an engaged and open style of interaction, as they
grow old. Apart from high quality communication, this form of attachment makes the attachment
figures adopt a positive mood towards their children, and resort to less corporeal punishment
methods. Ambivalent attachment makes infants and children approach their mother, but resist
further contact, evening pushing them away (Bergin and Bergin 2009, pp.143-145). The children
also cry more. Attachment figures also report increased anxiety, dissatisfaction and depression in
this attachment style. On the other hand, children experiencing avoidant attachment demonstrate
little or no interest when their mother return and are often comfortable in interacting with
strangers. The culture of punishing reprimanding the students on the basis of their
underachievement on performance can have a significant effect on their attachment or
relationship with their educator (Page 2017, pp.387-399). In such cases there is need for
attachment improvement activities for these children so that they can perform better rather than
having a transactional or punishment based approach for the lack of behavioural excellence or
performance.

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Student performance and motivation are often governed by the attachment between the
pupils and their teachers. As discussed by the attachment theory proposed by Ainsworth the
attachment is a bond or relationship between two individual that develops through time and
space. On the other hand the concepts of both Bowlby and Ainsworth, attachment is not
equivalent to dependency in children, which restricts them; on the other hand attachment, when
secure, can liberate the children to explore new words and facilitates cognitive growth and
development. Hence, the importance of attachment theory is optimum in integrating with the
educational activities in classroom management practices that the educators can employ.
While developing the education activities or pedagogies the educators need to consider
these factors that are contributing to the attachment issues or performance issues of the children.
The teachers should take into account three aspects of person-centred pedagogy namely, (i)
congruence, (ii) acceptance, and (iii) empathetic understanding (Assiter 2014, p.2). While
congruence will help the teachers demonstrate openness, transparency and genuineness in the
bond they intend to develop with the students, respecting the opinions of the students and
displaying an unconditional positive regards towards them will help the teachers demonstrate
acceptance (Bergin and Bergin 2009, p.170). On the other hand, the teachers should also
demonstrate a sound understanding of the meanings and feelings that the students intend to
share.
In the secondary education settings the children are of the age when they have the most
impressionable minds. On the other hand, if there is integration of the key concepts of the
attachment theory is the schools and educational setting to encourage development of strong
attachment with the educators, it will foster higher academic attainment, better social
competence and self regulation (Fletcher and Gallichan 2016, pp.8-32). Hence, I believe there is

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need for integrating the attached theory with the education activities and pedagogy to extract
from the advantages of this approach.
Impact on pedagogy:
Pedagogy has been argued to be the art and science of teaching. As discussed by Quin
(2017, pp.345-387), effective teachers use an array of different teaching strategies to educate the
children. The contributor to this thought is the belief that there is no single universal approach
that will suit the needs of all the students in order to improve the learning outcomes. There are
different variations of pedagogy: teacher centred pedagogy, which positions to teacher at the
centre of the learning process (Tyler 2017, pp. 49-67). It relies on different methods, whole class
lectures, role- memorization and chorus answers. This approach is often criticized to be
autocratic, as the students complete only lower order tasks and are afraid of the educator or
teacher. Hence, it cannot be aligned with the compassionate and reciprocal attachment aware
approach (Tyler 2017, pp. 49-67)The other pedagogical approach is the learner centred
pedagogy. In this case the teacher has to take into consideration the local context of the
classroom. Exploring further, the educator has to address the total number of students in the
class, the physical environment, the availability of resources, and the educating approach with
respect to the needs of the students (Assiter 2014, p. 2).
In this case, the educator will have to focus on the One to One interactions with each of
the students to identify the challenges and issues that students are facing in attachments to the
class and its impact on their performance. The teachers should create a structured environment
that has consistent rules, and display specificity and consistency in confronting or praising the
behaviour demonstrated by the children. They should also provide the students with options and
maintain certain professional boundaries by avoiding attempts to create intimacy or friendship

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with the children. Communicating in a direct and positive manner would also prove
advantageous.
As opined by Page (2017, pp.387-399), communication on a one-on-one basis is the key
to integrating attachment aware pedagogical approaches in different educational settings. There
is a strong connection between the priority of attachment with the emotion and social functioning
of the child. Hence, effective communication and reciprocal relationship will be the key to
integrating attachment array concepts in my teaching practice as a secondary teacher also
(Fonagy and Campbell 2016, pp.115-131).
Impact on learning of indigenous children:
Aside from the applicative benefits in the educational setting, attachment theory is also at
the centre of the child welfare decisions.The variations in Indigenous family structures create a
noteworthy impact on the development of Indigenous toddlers and infants. Indigenous families
are found to exhibit an increased likelihood of single-parent households. It has to be mentioned
in this context the aboriginal children have encountered a generational trauma (Harrison et al.
2017, pp.189-205). The impact of such a trauma when coupled with the racial discrimination and
unequal behaviour faced and the westernized society of Australia is often on their emotional and
behavioural characteristics. While the adults who are classified as autonomous display general
thoughtfulness, and value all kinds of attachment experiences, those who are dismissing deny the
effects of attachment related experiences on their development. Indigenous cultures have not
been found to adhere to the common norms of the mother being recognised as the sole
contributor of the emotional and physical wellbeing of the children. Aboriginal theories and
ideas of the family encompass the extended family concept, where bloodlines and lineage are
also considered vital, to the larger view where kin, clans, and totems comprise of leaders, elders,

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and communities. Hence, all of these individuals are considered to play an important role in the
learning and development of the children (Muir and Bohr 2014, pp. 20-25). Aboriginal culture is
ecological, consensual, spiritual, and communal. Thus, it can be stated that the social identity of
the Aboriginals make the children develop close relationship with their mother, as well as the
community members. The children are usually cared for by different mothers, owing to the
absence of the concept of ‘aunt’. While one theory states that secure attachment is responsible
for making a child socially competent in the adulthood, another hypothesis states that caregivers
who demonstrate sensitivity towards the child are subjected to secure attachment(Ryan 2011,
p.187). Hence, caregiving behavior of an Aboriginal mother that is identified to be not directive,
might be wrongly interpreted as poor or lack of attachment (Yeo 2003, p.297).
As discussed by Richardson, Carriere and Boldo (2017, pp.190-195), the impact of
attachment aware education approaches on the indigenous children is contradictory. Due to the
differences to the other children the aboriginal or indigenous students often are withdrawn due to
lack of confidence and sense of safety or security to perform in a classroom. Aboriginal parents
often consider their children as gifts from their Creator and take into account the long term
development of their children, such as the destiny. Hence, the role of the attachment figures is
not just restricted to shaping behaviour, but encompasses providing specific context for
expression. Attachment theory has been employed in child welfare practices for culturally
diverse populations such as aboriginal children before has yielded considerable success (Yeo
2003, p. 297). It can be suggested that the ways by which illness and health are understood by
the Aboriginal culture are quite different from other ethnic groups. Hence, the common themes
that underlie the indigenous beliefs are balance, holism and respect. It can also be deduced that
integrating the similar attachment our approach in educational setting as well can help the

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children have higher self-esteem, social competence and cognitive and social resilience in the
classroom environment (Van Rosmalen, Van Der Horst and Van der Veer 2016, p.22). The
educated has to incorporate prompt response to establish a sense of security and trust, availability
and consistency, nurturing positive relationships with the children encouraging collaborative
learning, and lastly fostering equal social competence among the children (Mesman, van
IJzendoorn and Sagi-Schwarz 2016, pp.852-877).While the behaviour of most children can be
challenging, it is imperative for the teachers to remember that behaviour is an essential aspect of
communication. Hence, the teachers should take all possible efforts to make the children feel
protected, safe and nurtured, thus helping the latter make a sense of the surrounding world. This
will allow the children develop confidence and trust in their caregivers and will make them
believe that they are loveable. This in turn will assist all children to enhance their self-esteem
and tolerate separation from the parents. The teachers should attempt to understand the emotional
world of the children by learning to decipher their emotional needs, and should also honour the
innate desire and wisdom amid the children to develop a secure relationship with specific
attachment figures.
Strengths and limitations of theory:
Discussing the strengths of this theory, firstly it has to be mentioned that this theory
incorporates a compassionate in imperative approach to learning and educating. The attachment
theory draws on three significant disciplines, ethology, psychoanalysis and evolutionary biology
(Holmes 2014). The amalgamation of these three approaches makes this theory of strong
strategic framework which addresses the developmental needs of the students effectively.
Another very important strength of this theory is that it outlines the importance of early
interactions between the caregiver and the children (Holmes 2014). This provides the educators

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with the basic understanding of the impact of integrated child relationship on their social and
educational performance. The final strength of the theory is the emphasis on social and
emotional development of the children in the educational environment (Bhowmik, Banerjee and
Banerjee 2013, pp.1-5).
There are several limitations of the aforementioned attachment theory. First and
foremost, attachment theory oversimplifies maternal deprivation and does not recognize the
difference between loss of attachment and not forming an attachment (Holmes 2014). Another
limitation is the lack of acknowledgement of the social influences on attachment which leads to
negative outcome. Many authors of argued that attachment issues are not the sole reason of
negative outcomes the impact of social in constable which is completely ignored in this theory
(Matias et al. 2014, pp.77-92). Hence it can be deduced that though Ainsworth and Bowlby's
research helps in understanding the importance of meeting the social and emotional needs of the
children for them to perform better, it mostly neglects cultural differences and its impact.
Conclusion:
On a concluding note, it has to be mentioned that the attachment theory provides a new
and compassionate insight to the educational setting. The impact of this theory can revolutionize
the teaching pedagogies. The aboriginal children also are associated with the key concepts of the
attachment theory intricately. The children form strong and secure attachment with their parents
and primary caregivers that help them sustain competence at multiple levels. When reflected in
their educational setting in their educational setting the attachment aware approach to education
can help these children attain various benefits in terms social and emotional wellbeing and can
help in improving their academic attainment and social competence. Although, there is need for
these approaches to be culturally safe, appropriate and devoid of any unintentional

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discrimination. This essay has outlined this basic understanding that attachment is key to social
and emotional development of the children, even in the secondary education setting. I believe
that the knowledge gained by this activity will help me address the needs of my students more
effectively with respect to their personal and cultural identity.

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